In Retrospect
by chasehermes
Summary: In which the exchange never happened, but fate has its way of bringing them together. Semi-AU. Zach/Cammie


**In Retrospect**

* * *

It was December, and the cold was something she welcomed, embraced even with open arms. The chill, the calmness was something that managed to make her think easier, and that's something she needed especially now it's Christmas, and she's half the world away from her home.

"They never said it would take this long," she muttered under her breath while weaving through countless of people whose names she'd never know. "They might as well have asked me to shop earlier for Christmas presents."

Hugging her wool jacket tighter, she huffed a little as she tapped her foot impatiently, pretending like she was some pedestrian late for her work. The cup of coffee she held in her hand served little consolation as she blended in with the rest.

Where was the agent she was supposed to meet again, anyway?

"I've never been to the town center," someone said, musing behind her.

Cammie stiffened a little, not too noticeable for other people to actually mind, but she strained to hear what the person has to say next. She looked around her, discreetly looking for a reflective surface.

"I heard it looks good during December."

Finally, she found some metal trash can near the side of the street. She glanced to take a look and saw a couple laughing beside her.

"Maybe we should go later," the girl - she was around twenty-three years old, just a couple of years older than Cammie - said, grinning a little, her ponytail neatly tied swinging a little.

"Maybe," the man -nearly six foot tall, not too muscular but not wimpy looking either, and definitely good-looking though it would take Cammie a million of years to actually admit that- echoed. A hint of smirk was evident on his face.

"Tomorrow at twelve? Sounds good?" the girl asked, leaning a little bit too closely to the man's chest. Her flirtatious laugh echoed a little. The man chuckled, encircling his arm around hew waist. From the looks of it, Cammie wasn't su_re_ if the 'couple' facade was just a facade.

Because if it was, they were certainly doing it well.

Cammie hummed a little, waiting for the light to blink green. At least now, she had an idea how th_ey _looked like, if it was them that she was actually supposed to meet. After a couple of seconds, she walked down the pedestrian, slowing her pace down a little to let the 'couple' walk ahead of her. She made sure, she was drinking her coffee, to make it seem like she was slowing down to throw it on the metal trashcan beside her. She watched silently from the surface again. They didn't look like they noticed her. If they did notice her however, they probably pretended they didn't.

That's what spies like her (if ever they really are spies) do.

She shuffled her hands inside her bag and felt for her phone, courtesy of Liz who was genius enough to put some of the best essentials a spy needs in an iPhone looking phone.

_Park. 12 o'clock noon._

After that 'encounter', she spent the rest of the day moving around the city moving around, going from shop to shop, and acting like a typical tourist. She bought some chocolates for Bex, some clothes that Macey would hopefully like, some complicated (even for her) puzzle for Liz from an antique store, and a few other stuff for her boss, mom, Aunt Abby, and Townsend.

Maybe they liked white chocolate chip cookies, too. Belgium-made sweets should taste good, anyway, so she was confident they'd love it.

It didn't take a long time until she found some small shop near the corner of some old-fashioned building near the lake where the swans dipped their bodies in. It was nearly nearing evening, and she promised this was the last stop she'd make before she return to the hotel.

She opened the worn-out door and stepped inside the ragged bookstore-slash-souvenir shop, taking in her surroundings with the keen senses she was taught to develop. The story was old, around thirty to forty years old. Same thing goes for the things that they sell.

If she had not known any better, she would assume they kept some undiscovered Van Gogh's painting. Near the counter stood an old lady who was around her fifty years old, with some spectacles placed on her face.

"_Good evening_," Cammie greeted politely in French. The books she'd purchase was on her arm, weighing her down a little. Who knew something so rugged-looking contained majority of the best philosophical works anyway?

The old woman beamed, and surprisingly, urged her to walk forward, saying, _"Come here, miss. I'll show you something special. Not many people have entered my store in years."_

Oh. That explained her enthusiasm.

But Cammie kept her mouth shut as she walked a few steps forward where the old lady was urging her to go. She approached the counter and waited for the old woman to stand up, appearing like she was trying to get some thing from a compartment near the bottom of the counter.

_"This,_" the old woman said, standing up to straighter her back as she grabbed Cammie's hand and placed something inside_, "is a lucky bracelet."_

Cammie blinked a little. A lucky bracelet?

_"You're special_," the old woman continued, laughing a little, _"And," _she continued and pointed to the stack of books Cammie carried on her left arm_, "I like your dedication to learn, little girl_. _Here,"_ she said.

Cammie looked at the bracelet, a little confused. From a far, it looked like a typical charm - the one made with metal carving and some decorations hanging on the side. But now that she was squinting a little, she could see the intricate details carved to the side.

_"No, no, ma'am_," Cammie said, shaking her head, _"I can't accept this. I don't have enough money to pay for something so expensive."_

The old woman tilted her head to the side, looking oddly confused. _"But I'm not asking you to pay for it. It's a gift, a blessing. It helps you find true love."_

_"True love?_" Cammie said, choking. Gods, the last time she heard about love was the time she got infatuated with Josh Abrams which of course, didn't end well. She was a spy, a fucking spy, and he was civilian.

It would have never worked out. Somehow, in between missions and assignments, when the crossroads between fate, destiny, and just Cameron Morgan met, she wondered if love even existed in her world, or if it's just another thing her mom promised her to make her think that there's hope for someone like her, like them.

_"Yes," _the old woman replied, looking a little dreamy, _"It helped me find mine, now I'm giving it to you."_

Of course, Cammie being the person she was, argued about it, purposely saying she was allergic to jewelries which she was totally not, but the old woman wouldn't budge. After asking for the payment for the books, she nearly kicked Cammie out of the store. The three hundred ways Cammie knew in killing someone with a paperclip vanished from her thoughts as she looked the joy in the old woman's eyes.

So, she did the last thing she wanted to do - thank and walk away.

It was only in the hotel room did she realize she had absolutely forgotten to ask the old woman's name, her silver bracelet now glinting dimly on the moonlight.

* * *

**.&.**

* * *

"Damn it, Bex," Cammie muttered under breath, waiting for Bex to pick up the other line, "answer it!"

To say that she was freezing was an absolute understatement. Last night, right before she slept, the weather was perfectly fine. The morning after, however, was another thing. A few inches of white snow covered the ground, and the cold weather was something not even her wool coat could fight off.

It was bad enough, this was the day most of the shops chose to close.

She's been standing for the past thirty minutes, and her bottom ached from all of it. The eerie silence was something she disliked. With the less than ten people around her, she was bound to feel crazy if someone didn't show up soon.

Glancing at her watch she read, _11:59_.

One minute, she reminded herself. After a minute, she'd be going back to the hotel and be cozy under the covers, and sulk because there was no way she'd be coming home for Christmas if she didn't find those two fucking agents she was supposed to pass the case file to.

She closed her eyes, inhaling lightly. She ignored the cold sting that literally froze her brains. This was the path she chose, so she had to suck this up, and act like a big girl. Gods, she survived Solomon. There was no way she's backing out from this one.

Besides, she's twenty-one. She should be strong enough to handle things like this. Stuffing her cold hands in the pocket of her coat, she reached for the 'charm' she had hid earlier when empty space met her. She frowned, and tried fishing for it on the other pocket of her coat, even shuffling through her jeans' pocket.

It was missing, it was gone. It was a treasure of some sweet old lady, and she lost it. Gritting her teeth, she held a disappointed groan.

How bad could this da-

Someone cleared his throat behind her, and she turned around instinctively, surprised to see the couple from yesterday.

They looked even more beautiful from up close. Both were too pretty, too attractive to be even considered pavement artists. The girl was slim, with loose curls tumbling down her back, and the guy - Cammie wouldn't go there.

There was no way she was swallowi-

"I think," the guy said, smirking a little as he reached for the pocket of his windbreaker. He pulled something metallic out, and Cammie swore her heart stopped beating for a while, if even just for a while.

He cleared his throat, his smirk widening as he stretched his arm out, as if he was offering her something. Damn, his eyes were so green...

And how soft would it be if she actually touched and felt his hair...?

Blushing a little, Cammie averted her eyes from his face to the his hand where the bracelet, the one that's supposed to bring her good luck and 'true love', if such a concept even existed, laid peacefully, as it belonged to the palm of his hand all along.

"I think you dropped this somewhere."

And that's where their story starts.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_This is well, err.. care to let me know what you think? Thank you so much for reading up to this part. __It really means a lot. And well, yeah to clarify things, there was no exchange in CMH._

_And as for the blonde… any guesses?_

_Please leave a review and tell me what you think! THANKS! XD And if you're wondering why on the earth have I not been online much in , please check out my wattpad account. :))_

_I hope you guys enjoyed reading this!_

_-chasehermes_


End file.
